Prince Charles wants sense of belonging

Britain's Prince Charles says people ''yearn for a sense of belonging'' just like they have in Transylvania.

Britain's Prince Charles says people "yearn for a sense of belonging".

The future king is currently campaigning to save the forests in Transylvania and is a huge admirer of the Romanian area because of the values the people have.

He told the Daily Mail newspaper: "The great thing about Transylvania is that unique relationship between man and his surroundings. Because that's what's missing from our own society. People yearn for a sense of belonging, identity and meaning. It's in us but we've denied it and

discarded it as if it's irrelevant. It isn't."

Charles is worried that the rapid economic growth in Transylvania will mean the forests of the Carpathian Mountains will come under threat from development and logging, so he is calling for the forests - some of the last untouched wilderness areas in Europe - to be protected before they are lost.

However, he insists he's not interfering and knows the importance of saving forests.

He said: "People will say, 'Oh, you're trying to preserve things in aspic, you're trying to prevent progress.' But you'd think by now we might have learned our lesson from all that's gone wrong with the agroindustrial approach."

The prince has recently bought a five-bedroom house in the village of Zalanpatak, which is said to have been founded by one of his Transylvanian ancestors.

He is expected to use the 150-year-old home as an isolated holiday retreat, and it will be used as a guesthouse when he is not in residence.